


One Way Ticket to Freedom

by Skyliaskye



Category: Camp Camp (Web Series)
Genre: Abuse, Angst, Camp Camp - Freeform, Child Abuse, David to the rescue, Dysphoria, Emotional Abuse, Foster Care, Foster Care AU, Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, No Romantic Relationship(s) - Freeform, OOC?, Panic Attacks, Past Rape/Non-con, Physical Abuse, Underage Rape/Non-con, david fosters max, gwen needs more love, injuries, just mentioned, more tags to add later, neil swearing is my life, nikki is rlly emotional, not graphic at all
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-08
Updated: 2017-07-14
Packaged: 2018-11-29 10:05:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 11
Words: 17,217
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11438598
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skyliaskye/pseuds/Skyliaskye
Summary: Max's summer at Camp Campbell was cut short after a conversation between David and Max's own mother and words that shouldn't of been said proved to be a one way ticket for Max to be taken out of the camp- for good. However, after a certain turn of events between a diary and the sudden realisation that something wasn't right, it's up to David to try and set things right.





	1. Chapter 1

The day Max received a call from his mother, he wasn't surprised.

He knew it was coming, it was the inevitable, and quite frankly even if he didn't want to leave he'd have no choice.

He just hoped that it wasn't so soon.

Of course the call he received was from David's phone.

Max rolled his eyes at the tall male several feet ahead of him, his two friends Neil and Nikki watching along beside him.

A sharp 'ehem' snapped Max back to the conversation,  
"What?" he snapped back without a second thought,  
"Maxwell! don't you dare speak to your mother in that tone again or so help me-" he zoned out for a second, gritting his teeth slightly with creased eyebrows, "-do you hear me?!" Max droned out a 'yes' to please the woman, listening as she let out a sigh, "pack your stuff, we'll find you somewhere better to go." Her words dripped in poison, and before Max could intervene, the call ended with a monotone beep.

Max growled slightly and lowered his arm.

"Everything alright Ma-"  
"What the fuck did you tell her David?" Venom laced his every word and David, blinking back from his slight surprise, nervously laughed,  
"T-that's confidential I'm afraid to say." Max launched David's phone at the said man's face, who impressively managed to catch it with a squeak,  
"Fuck you asshole!" Max seethed out in anger.

Nikki and Neil were quick to step in,  
"Max! J-jeez, calm down for a minute will you!" Neil stated in worry, stepping forward beside Nikki,  
"Yeah, I mean it can't be THAT bad right?" Nikki's words seemed to endlessly loop through Max's ears and he growled once more, gripping the bridge of his nose with his hand.

It feel silent for several seconds.

"Max, are you ok?" David's concerning tone only made Max roll his eyes as a familiar face waltzed into the room,  
"The hell is happening here? All the other campers are freaking at all the yelling going on."  
"Gwen! Max got a call from his mother, though I don't know calling her up was a good idea in the first place." Gwen sighed,  
"I warned you, idiot." Her eyes shifted over to the short, black haired boy who glared at the ground wordlessly, "Hey bud, whatever happened can be sorted out later, we're about to start the morning activities so-"

"I have to go pack my shit."

The air in the room thickened, until David's voice rang through the air in panic,  
"W-what? Why?! You're not planning on running away again Max, are you? I mean- telling us wasn't the smartest thing because we're obviously going to stop you but-"

"No you fucking dick head, i’m packing because whatever the fuck you told my mother obviously gave her the impression that this camp is nothing but bad news to my fuck-ass health and she's decided to pull me out of this shit-hole." He stared daggers straight into David’s eyes, the latter sucking in a quick breath,  
“W-what? You’re leaving?! B-but-”

“There’s nothing you can possibly say that will make any of this bullshit any better. I’m going to go pack my shit now because I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if my stupid fucking mother show up in the next hour,” he stormed off through the group who seemed to watch with silent worry. Even after the boy left, it stayed silent for several minutes until Neil snapped his neck to meet David’s saddened eyes.

He growled.

“what the fuck did you tell his her?!” he threw his hands up in exaggeration, almost hitting Nikki beside him, “and I swear to god, you better fucking tell me or so help me, I will stab your eyes when you sleep!” before David could reply however, Nikki stepped in,  
“don’t you dare tell us it’s confidential either! You’ve literally just causing one of your campers to be forcibly removed from camp by their mother, let alone it being one of my best friends!” she sniffled slightly and glared at the floor, “you’re an asshole, David.”

Silence.

Gwen sighed seconds later, glaring at David. David himself looked torn, his mouth twitched down in twinging sadness and his eyes dropped to the ground.

“Just tell them, it wasn’t even that bad. Whoever his mother is, she's obviously over-reacting and I bet a call from a…” Gwen slipped David’s phone from the said man and took several steps back, “more down-to-earth Councillor will change her mind. I’ll be back shortly.” and with that, she exited the building leaving the distraughted trio to their own devices.

David whined softly.

“I-I didn’t know this would happen!” He shifted his gaze to the duo staring daggers at the poor man and he gulped, “um, look. I-I kinda told her about his behaviour- w-which is camp policy by the way- and, uh, kinda t-told her about his escaping stunts.” he froze as he watched Nikki and Neil’s face darken.

“Well I hope you enjoy watching him be ripped out of the only place where he seemed to be warming up to.” Nikki’s voice cracked slightly and again, she sniffled.

They left without another word, Nikki landing a solid kick to the lanky man’s knee as replied with a yelp of pain.

David watched as they left, the feeling of guilt swelling up in his stomach. He brought a hand to his forehead and he sighed just as Gwen re-entered, a frown etched onto her face.  
Her eyes met David's.

"His mother is a cunt."

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Two hours later, a sleek black car rolled into the camp, attracting the attention of the temporary residents as they scrambled to see who had shown up.

David's gut churned, finding himself regretting his actions at the thought of losing one of his campers, especially since it was Max, the one camper David was determined to show how great Camp Campbell is.

Gwen had explained that no matter what she said whilst on the phone with Max's mother, she was determined to get Max out of there and that nothing Gwen could say would stop her from doing it, 'He is mine after all' Gwen mimicked with annoyance. The way Max's mother phrased that however, made Gwen's stomach churn the wrong way. She talked as if he was an object- like she was just using Max as an excuse to shut Gwen up.

The door to the car opening up snapped David's attention back. He watched as a feminine leg dropped to the dirt ground, wearing heels that seemed way too big for any woman to be comfortable in.

Quick enough, the rest of the body came into view; thin stature, black hair and piercing blue eyes complimented with a slight scowl on her face.

Was this really Max's mother?

When Max was dropped of at the beginning of summer, David was met with the same car in front of him right now rolling up to the camp and quick enough, the small boy exited before the car drove off without a second to spare, leaving David and Gwen with the first camper of the year.

But now it seems that their first camper to arrive will be the first to leave. David grimaced at the thought.

By now, most of the kids had huddled behind Gwen, whispering and chattering about the woman with 'a look so scary even the Quartermaster looked more friendly', which in reply, the woman just rolled her eyes at the sight of them.

All but one, who had situated himself in front of the cafetorium with bags in hand.

His eyes met hers.

"Maxwell."  
"Mum."  
"Get in the car."

Max wordlessly followed her commands, ignoring the stares behind him as he threw his stuff in the car. His gaze creeped to the other campers however, and his eyes fell on Nikki and Neil.

They looked heart broken.

He snapped his gaze away and sighed, climbing in the car quickly.

"David, where is Max going?" Space kid asked with curiosity, his tone laced with worry,  
"Yeah, why is he leaving with that old lady?" Erid huffed out with narrowed eyes at the woman as the woman scoffed,  
"Manner-less children," she exclaimed with a venomous tone as she whipped her head to David's; he jumped at the sudden attention. "thank you for taking care of my bothersome child , I hope he wasn't too much of a pain." She stated before turning to the car as David cleared his throat,  
"w-wait, Max wasn't tha-"

"with what you said on the phone, he sounded like he was nothing but a waste of space." David's eyes widened and the camp fell into a dull silence, only the sounds of Max's mother's voice rang through the air, "goodbye. I doubt you'll be seeing me or my son ever again." and with that speech ended she huffed, entered the car and drove away, the tuft of Max's hair was the only sight of him they saw as the car disappeared in the forest.

Nikki's let out a strained laugh, "He didn't even say goodbye..." her smile dropped instantly and her laugh turned into a sob as she hugged Neil, who glared at David angrily,  
"Fuck you David." He choked out before guiding himself and Nikki away.  
All that David could do was look into the distance where he last saw Max's car drive off. Guilt and sadness clawed at his stomach as did the overwhelming notion of Max's mother calling Max, her own son, a waste of space.

He clenched his fists.

What had he done?


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max is scared, Gwen's perception helps David and Nikki and Neil show Gwen something that's game-changing- and not in a positive way.

Max's P.O.V

 

Great. Just fucking great. 

Leave it up to David to fuck my life over even more than he's done so already. Not only was I forced to leave the one place I could feel remotely safe in with only having to constantly face that red-headed idiot- but now I'm stuck with the one person I thought I could've easily avoided for the next several weeks- months even! 

My mother. 

I shifted my gaze to her position in the front seat as she drove through the rocky terrain, her steel-blue eyes trained one the road with her eyebrows slightly creased, then her eyes flickered upwards. Her eyes met mine through the prismatic rear-view mirror and I shifted my eyes instantly, a sense of nervousness- something I haven't properly felt in while- churned in my stomach and my hands found themselves together in a twirling motion on my lap. 

I felt sick.

Her eyes felt sick to look at. 

"Look at me." Her icy cold voice vibrated in my ears and my eyes flickered to the mirror quickly; I found myself sucking in a sharp breath. I should've known that these past couple of months weren't enough for this shit I was trained to do. 

I shouldn't of got my hopes up. 

I watched as the car slowed down to a halt, her eyes focused on mine silently. Blue eyes met green and as much as I wanted to look away, I felt as if my throat was constricted- like I couldn't move any of my muscles. 

She 'tsk'd as she surveyed me- watched me like I was an animal. In her eyes, I probably was. Like a rat or some other rodent only around to scab off of her- like a pest she knew she could've easily gotten rid off with some money and some trained people. 'Much like David.' I thought, however unlike the ones I knew my mother would've been thinking about, David was anything but that. At least he cared. fucked up in the process, sure, but cared all the same.

"Did you hear me back there Maxwell?" I blinked, mouth clenching slightly, "you're a waste of space. A burden." Her cold voice send shivers down my spine and I forced myself not to retaliate.

Retaliating only gets you pain.

"I mean, they aren't the words I used," she chuckled, though it sounded more robotic that humane, "it's what that man said- Daniel or whatever his name was." My eyes widened slightly, yet I remained calm,   
"David." She blinked, "his name is David, n-not Daniel." Fuck. Fuck this and fuck my stuttering. Fuck everything, just fuck, fuck, FUC-

"Who cares, Maxwell, honestly," she rolled her eyes, "it's a waste of space- your words I mean. Of course, you are too, but now I'm just rambling." She took this chance to brush a loose strand behind her ear, "your father wants to... speak with you when we get home by the way." 

I felt my blood run cold.

My father. 

"If only you weren't as troublesome as that Councillor said you were," My eyes dripped downwards to my hands that seemed to be visibly shaking, "'Max just seems too stubborn and too troublesome for our camp!'" She mimicked with harsh tone, "'I'd hate for him to ruin everyone else's time here!'" She glanced over her shoulder and I bit my lip, "'I'm just so disappointed in him!'" 

My gaze fell. 

Did David actually think of him like that? Does everyone else? 

I shook my head, fuck no. She's just trying to pull my fucking leg, I know it, fucking bitch. I glared slightly at my mother and she smirked, turning the ignition of the engine back on and she started driving once more.

I'm so fucking done with everything. 

\--------------------------------------------------

Gwen's P.O.V

 

I sighed, watching on as the kids bombarded not only David, but also Neil and Nikki with questions about Max and where- or better yet why- he was taken away. Not even five minutes after the exit of Max and his mother, some kids had swarmed around the other two kids, successfully stopping them from going any further from where they were going- the rest of the kids managed to snare David from escaping, not like he was going anywhere anyway, as the kids followed along in their own personal investigation and I rolled my eyes,  
"Come on everyone!" Most eyes snapped to mine and I pointed to the cafetorium, "In. Now." Several seconds passed until some groaned, yet they listened and followed my instructions, one by one. 

My eyes softened as Neil and Nikki followed and I stopped them before they entered,   
"You guys don't have to follow. Take the day off you two, you deserve it." Nikki's eyes caught mine and my heart swelled in guilt.

As much as David was the one to go through with the call, I had every right to be guilty myself. I was the one that told David about the regulations, and because of me, Max was gone.

And for some reason, it just doesn't feel right without his pessimistic face around- and it had only been several minutes.  
"I-" Nikki was cut off by Neil,  
"Thanks." His eyes were downcast as he dragged Nikki away without a second thought.

I frowned, eyes glancing to David who was still staring at the road Max left on. My eyes softened,  
"David!" His eyes snapped to mine, "you ok?" He glanced once more to the road before making his way to me.

He looked defeated.

"Gwen, what was I thinking? I know it was regulation for us to give updates, b-but I should've just-"   
"No, it was my fault David." I sighed out, crossing my arms, "I was the one who told you about the updated regulations and if it weren't for me, he'd still be here." David's eyes widened,  
"No! Gwen, it was the right thing for you to tell me and I should've known for the beginning! His mother is just- I just," he froze for a second before he sighed, "it seems like it was the inevitable. Either way, I doubt anything would've changed whether it was you telling her or me."

I grimaced. 

He was right.

"Look, ok. Just... Let's get inside and make sure the kids are ok, yeah?" David's eyes wondered for a second, but he snapped back quickly and he agreed.

I just hoped everything will turn out alright- and that David will be ok.

\--------------------------------------------------------

It was several hours later when things seemed to take a turn for the worse.

As much as it might seem that Max wasn't a big influence on the campers, he seemed to be a vital key to keeping things... stable. Much like ying and yang and all that crap, Max seemed to be the pessimistic ying to the rest of the camps yang- and without him everyone seemed to be on edge.

I wouldn't be surprised if Max was the one that sucked up everyone's negativity for himself, as now everyone's personality were much more stale and I felt even myself become a little annoyed at the kids themselves.

I sighed, grumbling in annoyance as Nerris and Harrison argued once more in the middle of the camp grounds, something about trespassing on their territory or something.

David, for some reason, had yet to be effected. Then again, it was David, I doubt his personality would even allow anything other than Happiness and the occasional anxiety seep into his blood stream. David swooped in to fix the scene playing out and I stood up, deciding to check on people around the tents- maybe even pop in to see Neil and Nikki.

And I did exactly that.

When I reached their tent, I noticed the lack of shoes next to the tent, where there would be three pairs, there were two-

I shook my head, wiping the thoughts away from my mind.

I entered, and immediately noticed both figured huddled over Max's old bed- a torch shining down on something in Neil's arms.

"Hey guys." Their heads whipped around and they screamed, allowing myself to scream as well. Curse my easily scared nature.

Our voice cut off seconds later and I watched as Neil hug the object in his hands tighter,  
"w-what the hell Gwen?! You scared the hell out of us!" I scoffed,  
"Like you didn't scare me back!" I stopped after, gripping the bridge of my nose as I let out a soft sigh, "Sorry, I'm just...so on edge lately." Neil's eyes softened and he sighed, the object in his arm loosening- a book?

All I managed to see was the word 'Max's' and I blinked.

"What's that?" I pointed at the book and both Nikki and Neil jumped back,  
"Nothing!" They echoed perfectly together. Their eyes gleamed defensively and I drew my hand back,  
"Whoa, calm down, I surrender!" They relaxed slightly and I sighed in relief, "But look, if that belongs to Max, I have to send it back to him- wouldn't you hate it if one of your friends wouldn't return one of your possessions?"

Silence.

"It's his diary." I blinked. 

Max has a diary?

As if reading my mind, Nikki sighed, "W-we know we shouldn't be snooping, but it looks really old and we just wanted to know a little more about him before he we lose him forever," My heart swelled at her words, "that and..." Her words drifted off as her eyes connected with Neil's, the latter frowning slightly. 

I narrowed my eyes slightly at them and Neil sighed,  
"Look Gwen," he started, gripping the book tightly, "there's some stuff in here that are kinda.."  
"personal?" I asked in confusion,  
"Abusive." I blinked,  
"What?" 

The look in both of their eyes sent shivers down my spine as they ushered me forward, opening the book to one of the books starting pages. 

My head leaned forwards and my eyes scanned the page-

My heart sped up and I gasped at the scratchy words inked onto the pages.

This wasn't right. This- this is-

"We need David here right now."


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Angst for your soul

Max's P.O.V

I woke up with a startle, sweat rolling down my face and my breathe ran thin- shit, it feels like I just ran a marathon or something. My hands were shaking as I laid my head into them as if to try and comfort myself. I took steady breaths, in and out as I tried to remember what the hell that nightmare was about.

However, everything was a blur. I had no idea what had happened to even make me wake up in a cold sweat nor why it even happened. The last time I had a major nightmare like this was when- 

I froze.

I whipped my head up and to the left,  
"N-Neil-" My words were caught in my throat. The room was empty- this room, this all too familiar room was empty and I knew that wasn't because Neil nor Nikki weren't outside talking to the other campers-

Because I wasn't at the camp anymore. 

Neil and Nikki weren't here anymore, neither was Nerris, or Dolph or Gwen or hell, even David. I remembered everything from yesterday- the phone call, my mother picking me, their stares- I shook my head and noticed my eyes stinging for some reason. I rubbed them with the back of my right hand, only to touch something cold- something wet.

I drew back the hand immediately and through the slight darkness, managed to spot the glistening water marks on my hand.

Was I crying?

I placed my hand back over my eyes and rubbed again and quickly confirmed that I was indeed crying and I felt my body go cold. 

Why was I crying?

Was it because of me being back here? No, even after camp I knew I'd find myself back here so crying over something like my old room would never e decision I'd take- was it because of my parents? My father?

I winced as I mentioned him as recent memories flashed through my mind. Gripping my right arm anxiously I looked around the room for some sort of camera my parents might of used for watching me with- wouldn't be the first time. After all, Camp Campbell wasn't the only place I tried to run from. But no, I wouldn't be crying over my parents unless it's from joy for them being fucking dead- fuck them both.

After quickly surveying the rest of the room, I sat up against my bed frame as I thought of what the hell's gonna happen now.

What'll happen to me now? Will I ever see Neil again? What about Nikki, or- 

A sob racked my whole body and I threw a hand over my mouth to stop the noise from escaping once more. My eyes were wide and alarmed, only to latch shut as my body shook from crying.

God I was such an ugly crier.  
God I hate crying.  
God It hurts.  
Oh god, Everything hurts.

The numbing pain against my arms and legs and the throbbing headache that I know will be haunting my mind for the next couple days felt like someone repeatably stabbing me all over my body as I forced myself not to whimper at the pain. I knew something was broken- either broken, fractured or extremely bruised. Wounds I managed to close up felt close to tearing open and I could feel the warm stream of blood from multiple cuts and I sucked in a sharp breath as the memories overwhelmed me.

The words that he yelled at me- belittling me, accusing me, screaming as he thrashed me around had me begging for him to stop- why didn't he stop? Why, why?

I'm only ten, I'm only a kid- so why?!

I don't want to be here- not with them, please, not with them.

I need to get out of here. 

And I need to do it now.

 

\--------------------------------------------------------

David's P.O.V

 

I was horrified when I first found out.

Gwen had asked for me to come with her during the first camp activity and she wasn't taking no for an answer as she latched a hand onto my arm and started dragging me away as the campers watched on with curiosity. 

I had let out a nervous laugh as I looked over my shoulder's and told the camper's that the first activity was cancelled and that they had some free time for the time being- they didn't ask any questions nor followed, which I was thankful for.

Whatever Gwen needed me for, I had a gut feeling that it wasn't anything good.

After several minutes of walking and vague answers to my questions, we arrived at a familiar tent. My eyebrow raised as I asked what was happening, yet again answers came up short to nothing as Gwen dragged me in.

Nikki and Neil sat on the ground, huddled around n old, tattered book. I'd later find out that this book was something I had came to despise- not for who wrote in it, but for what was written in it.

The two kids stated that they had found it minutes after arriving back at the tent that early morning, after Nikki had a little breakdown and threw Max's mattress, alongside various objects- that's when they discovered Max's diary underneath the bed.   
I was confused at the fact that Max had a diary, yet after reading several pages, I could see why he used one to cope with this childhood trauma- and even saying something like that still makes me cringe. It was horrifying knowing that Max's childhood of all things had been this constant torment filled with abuse and hatred from his own parents.

It made me sick knowing that Max was with them right now.

I mean, he's only ten years old- why didn't I notice anything sooner?

At first, back when he first arrived I thought he just wasn't accustomed to the unfamiliar area and that was why his attitude was so harsh and cynical. I had let it slide and told Gwen that I was sure he would calm down and take a liking to the place eventually. Even after the arrival of all the other campers, however, he was still as distant as he was when he first arrived. 

At least with the later arrival of Neil and Nikki, he became a little more bearable of the place.

But now he's not here- now he's with them.

My mind snapped back into the present as the door to my room was flung open as Gwen came inside, papers in hand- a lot of them too. I had asked her to copy each and every single page of Max's book -and when asked why from a confused Nikki and defensive Neil- Gwen had slipped in and stated that she knew that what was happening to Max was something that should never of happened- to him or to any other child and that we, as the adult's, were going to stop this once and for all.

First step was to get Max out of there, because as much as I wanted to contact the police, Max's scratchy handwriting had stated multiple times that his parents had enough authority to stop him from 'escaping' and the consequences to that were horrible. 

I grimaced.

Max knew this because he tried it before.

"David." my eyes met Gwen's and I nodded.

I just hope we aren't too late.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max has a panic attack and deals with the aftermath by himself. That, and his mother becomes 100x worse.

Max's P.O.V

There were no cameras, not that I could see at least. My room was bare, looking as if it was expecting someone new to move in to it right now. 

A bed, a cabinet and a violin.

I teared my gaze away from the last object and stood up, carefully rising out of bed with wobbly legs. The pain I felt had numbed, yet it still fell into a dull ache that made me whine softly.

An exit. I need an exit.

The door to my room was a no go- that's was for certain a way to immediately get caught. So that left two options, either my window in this room and the one in my bathroom. That's if they aren't sealed up from last time that is-

-Bang-

My head whipped to the door, eyes wide as I sucked in a sharp breath. The sounds of feet padded against the ground in a long, monotone rhythm, much too deep for my mother's feet. I felt a shiver shoot down my spine and my blood run cold.

He's coming.

I felt my heart constrict as I jumped back into my bed and wrapped myself in my blankets, turning myself away from my door and shutting my eyes tightly.

This has to be a nightmare- all just some fucked up dream that allowed me to feel pain or something, please, god don't fucking let this shit be real. I just want to wake up from this bullshit. 

Wake me up and throw me into David's shit-ass camp activities with the other campers and drag me off onto another fucking adventure with Neil and Nikki and let me tell them that I value our friendship and tell them I don't hate them or the others and hell, even Gwen and David too and just let. me. breath.

My eyes shot open.

Hands wrapped around my throat- Piercing green eyes and a sick twisted grin that dripped with venomous growls.

I clawed at my throat, clawed at the hands and found myself struggling to breath. My eyes watered as my head started to throb, pounding and pounding and pounding my head, my hands, my heart beat, my choked sobs and his own constricting hands with sharp, teeth-bitten nails that dug into my throat.

I screamed.

My eyes shot open.

Everything was blurry- my throat stung my chest felt tight.

I felt tears streak down my cheek once more and I felt my lips quiver before I realised-

He wasn't here.

He never was.

I clenched my yellow shirt that I had yet to change out of- it was the last thing that reminded me of a place where it didn't hurt to exist and I let out a shaky breath of relief- or as much as someone could have after having a panic attack.

_Oh god, a panic attack._

_I'm so fucked up._

The foot steps seemed to have disappeared a long time ago and my room looked untouched. No one but me. 

I turned myself over and got up quickly, making sure my legs were stable before walking over to the door to my bathroom, slipping in with my bare feet hitting the tiled floor with a tint of cold making me cringe.

Then I saw my appearance. 

I gasped, walking up to my mirror as the thought of the cold tiles drifted away. I brought a hand up to touch my neck as if I didn't believe that they were there- but of course they were, the dark purple scratches and blood droplets wouldn't lie, nor the chunk of flesh barely bigger than a bottle cap lid hanging off loosely on the bottom of my neck.

Had I done this to myself?

I knew I was bad during my attacks, but this? This was worse than anything I've ever done- a chunk of flesh, my flesh, dangling as if holding on for dear life, blood cascading down endlessly and fuck did it hurt. 

I wiped my tears from my eyes as I opened the mirrored cabinet, glad to see that my parents at least had the common decency to refill the first aid kit.

Actually, i wasn't glad. Those fucking cunts shouldn't even be doing this shit in the first place.

_But it's my fault-_

No. It. Isn't.

I hit the side of my head, instantly regretting it at the wave of pain that rebounded. I groaned, 'never gonna do that again' I thought with a bitter undertone. 

Whatever this shit is, it isn't my fault. I didn't ask to be born, nor did I ask for parents as fucked up as the ones I have now.

No one asks.

_No one cares._

I groaned and without a second thought threw open the first aid kit and started on my neck, using the limited amount of knowledge on first aid treatment to wrapped myself up.  
I guess I'll have to thank David the next time I see him for that stupid first aid course he pulled on the first week of camp.

_If you see him again._

I frowned.

"Shut up, asshole."

 

\------------------------------------------------

 

It was when the sky was setting when my mother walked into my room.

I couldn't properly tell what time it was since I didn't have a phone, or because there wasn't a clock in my room. It's only my second day at home and I already couldn't remember what day it was. Tuesday? Wednesday? God, where's Neil when you need him, that nerd would know.

"Play me something."

I froze.

My mother titled her head at me and she pointed to the violin,  
"Play me something Maxwell, I missed your music." I stared. I couldn't help but to only stare.

It was only till my mother had gripped my arm and practically threw me off the bed, her gaze looking to mine with utter anger that i realisd what she wanted. I groaned, the palms of my hands gripping the ground as my head gazed down and I cringed.

_I hate myself so much sometimes._

I know.

My mother kicked me and I yelled, my head smashing onto the cabinet with a sickening crack and I gasped at the pain,  
"Play me something Maxwell," My mother's voice rang out and I rolled over, trying to pick myself up before my mother did anything else, "Hurry up Maxwell, I'm so prroud of you." Her voice sounded so fucking sincere, as if I was about to play in front of a stadium full of critics and she was cheering me on- as if she treated me like an actual mother.

I managed to place my footing and I stood up, my head pounding more than ever and I felt like crying.

I picked up the violin.

"W-what do you want me to play?" I heard her laugh,  
"Why question me Maxwell? You know which one."

Of course I did.

I positioned the violin quickly and I played the first note, hoping to god that I sounded perfect.

_I was anything but perfect, though._


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thoughts and decisions.

3rd P.O.V

 

The next time Max opened his eyes, his head pounded with a nausiating throbbing strong enough for him to let out a whine as he gripped his head with both of his hands.

His room was empty from any life other than his own, the room emitting a dark, thick silence that clung to the sense of dread looming over Max as if he was prey, like it was watching- waiting. 

Max felt horrible. Cuts and scabs littered his body and bruises covered most of his body; from his stomach to his face and even his arms and legs. Max found it hard to breath, as if his throat was strangled with wire, cutting into his neck with each tug. 

He then wondered how his life managed to get this shit, or even better, why this was happening to him.

Even before the camp Max was abused.

'For your disgusting behaviour!' His mother would shriek out with a glare,   
'because you're no son of mine' his father would growl out. 

Max couldn't understand it. He was only ten and even though he knew he was smarter than others, he couldn't- he still can't understand how this abuse got so bad. 

He used to be so much more.

He used to be a star pupil with high marks, a bright mind and an even brighter smile to match. He had friends and an amazing teacher that would praise him for how well he'd do in class and the fridge in his own home was covered with achievements and awards.

Now he felt like nothing.

Now, as he was huddled in the middle of his tattered, old bed with broken springs and the smell of old blood, his arms wrapped around himself as he tried so hard to breathe properly. 

What happened?

Max cringed.

Memories from his past flooded through his head and he hit himself, trying to think more of the pain- to think of anything but his past. He knew exactly when and why his parents started to treat him like this. Why they started accused him of being such a waste of space or Why his behaviour was horrible enough for his mother to be affected and Max knew that his mother was talking about more than his behaviour at the camp.

She'll always accuse him because of that incident years ago.

'It was my fault.' Max bitterly thought, hitting himself again, 'why did I lie?'

He really wished life wasn't so disgustingly horrible. 

Max's mind wandered to his friends and he wondered what they were doing- probably something stupid. An adventure or maybe another contest between the Woodscouts for the property of Camp Campbell. As much as Max hated to admit it, he felt something at that camp that he hadn't felt in years.

Safe.

He knew David and Gwen were too kind to hurt a soul. His friends would poke fun at him, yes, but he knew it was more of a banter than anything his parents would say or do. The others were amazing and friendly too.

They were like a family he knew he could never have.

Max chuckled bitterly at the thought,  
'A family? A very dysfunctional one maybe.'  
'Like mine isn't dysfunctional already.' Max flinched.

His mind was a flurry of thoughts and he knew too many of them were more self-deprecating than anything positive. 

Max's eyes twisted to his window and he stared at the closed blinds. It was obvious that it was no longer light, mostly because their was none illuminating the room.

Max's parents had taken away his light- and Max wondered if that meant his childhood light or the room's light,  
'Both' he thought bitterly.

Max rose suddenly with a hiss of pain, grabbing the side of his stomach where his mother had repetitively kicked him after the violin incident only hours ago. Max knew something had to be broken this time.

However, his thoughts were somewhere else. 

It was dark- it was night time. 

All he had to do was get one of the window's open and he could leave, just like that. He could pack a small bag, albeit with only a couple pieces since that's all he had, and run away. He could do this, he did it once before and now he's learnt from his mistakes and he can do it this time.

He knew he could.

He got to work quickly, grabbing both his small bag that he's had since he was six and any first aid supplies that were left and stuffed his belongings in there- bandages, two shirts, three pairs of pants and anything else he could fit. He quickly threw his bag over his shoulder and took a step forward before realising- his diary!

As much as it was an embarrassment to have one, he knew he needed it to cope with himself.

He turned around and opened the suitcase he used for the camp and began pulling it apart. All that was in there now was an extra blanket he had brought to the camp, a pillow and a book-shaped indent in the pillow, where Max had put his diary.

He flinged the pillow upside down and the book tumbled out.

Max reached for it quickly, but froze halfway.

That wasn't his diary.

The hard-covered book was black with familiar symbols littered all over it. Max's blood ran cold as he realised that this book wasn't his diary, but was in fact one of Niel's science books. How it ended up in there, Max didn't know but he knew one thing was for certain.

His diary was back at the camp.

He knew that the lock on it would mean nothing to Nikki and that means- Max found it even harder to breathe.

He had to go back and stop them, he had to stop them from finding out- they would never look at him the same if they found out.   
Max's eyes widened- they'd tell David and Gwen-

"Oh, fuck," Max whispered out as his heart thumped wildly in his chest, "Oh for fucks sakes!"

He ripped at his hair for several seconds before his eyes whipped over to the window with new found determination.

He had to go- right now.

He knew what he had to do.


	6. Chapter 6

David's P.O.V

It took several days to devise a plan that was deemed safe enough to retrieve Max with minimal drama or danger to anyone. Not only that, but several other procedures including getting the Quartermaster to take over my place for a couple of days with minimal disturbance through the camp and to also make sure that he and Gwen were sufficiently able to handle the kids were accounted for- though I quite trusted that they would be fine, it was Gwen who had asked for me to run it with her twice, just in case.

For now though, everything seemed to be moving relatively smoothly.

However, If the many questions that seemed to be never-ending from other campers hadn't interrupted me so much, I had a gut feeling I would've already been on the road looking for Max.

I shook my head, it wasn't their fault that they were curious, they're just kids! Wonderful, bright kids that seemed to be worried for their friend.

I glanced down at the papers in front of me, scanning over the address imprinted upon the paper.  
Max's address.

It was mandatory that the councillors had a reference sheet of emergency contacts, emails and addresses of each camper, and I was so glad that it was. Who knew how much longer it would've taken to find him without an address?

I typed the rest of the address into my phone just as a soft knock tapped against my door, I twirled my head around and came face to face with Gwen. The first thing I noticed about her was the ever-present bags underneath her eyes.

Either she was worried and scared for Max, which she had every right to since I was too, or the stress of both the possibility that Max might be hurt and the overwhelming explosion of questions from the campers.  
Well, the hell with it, it's probably both.

Gwen sighed as she sat on the edge of my bed, allowing me some room as I swiveled my chair around to face her,  
"You going soon, yeah?" I nodded wordlessly, quickly tapping the maps on my phone to start the navigational route to Max's house and I was surprised -and glad- to see it only a forty-five minute drive away.

Zooming in, my eyes narrowed a bit at the size of the place,  
"If Max actually lives here, It might be a little hard to grab his attention over the massive walls surrounding it." Gwen shot me a look,  
"But you'll figure it out, won't you?" I nodded,  
"Anything for a camper in need, Gwen."

Silence engulfed the space for several seconds before the voice within my phone stated the set of directions to the designated destination which made me jump slightly.

Gwen rolled here eyes, though it seemed more nostalgically fond and not the serious, icy stares of Gwen judging his every move that she used to give him.

I smiled gently before standing up and throwing my bag onto my back, stretching slightly before opening my door. I had brought multiple items such as the first aid kit, extra money incase we needed it and forms for  
I really hoped I wouldn't be using the first aid kit.

"You sure you'll be ok with the other campers?" I questioned making a B-line to my car. All the campers were currently in the cafeteria so I knew that if I went now, there would be a better chance of not being bombarded by them.  
Gwen walked along side me and shrugged,  
"Hope so." I frowned at her, "Kidding, kidding. I'll be fine, the Quartermaster is here to help, I hope." She whispered the last bit and I laughed,  
"If anything goes wrong, just give me a call and i'll try to make my way back as fast as I can" I unlocked my car and placed my bag on the passenger seat before making my way over to the driver's side,  
"Please bring Max back safely," I blinked at her words, "he might be a little shit a lot of the times, but he's still just a kid and no child deserves treatment like that." She rubbed her arm with a frown prominent on her face.

I sighed,  
"I'm going to do the best I can to get him away from those people, believe me I will."  
Seconds passed and Gwen smiled,  
"I'll keep your word then. I'll see you soon." I replied with my own goodbye before getting in and turning on the ignition before driving away from the camp. Glancing back in the mirror I watched as Gwen waved before making her way back to the Cafeteria.

'I'll be there soon Max, just stay put for now.'

\-----------------------------------------------------------------

 

"I can NOT believe you two!" I yelled, watching as Nikki and Neil crossed their arms at me, Nikki going further by pulling her tongue out at me, "I'm serious you guys! Gwen's probably freaking out, wondering where you two are! Not only that, but even coming along with me is a threat on its own! How did you guys even get in here, the door was locked before I even arrived!" I crossed my own arms at them,  
"David, our best friend has been taken by their abusive parents into a home where he's probably been subjected to that shit for years. When you rock up and get him out of there, do you really think he's going to co-operate with you as if you two are buddy-buddy with each other?" I linked and pursed my lips, "He's going to need support by people who he knows he can trust, and I'm pretty sure out of the three of us and everyone back at the camp, those people would be me and Nikki!" Nikki nodded at his words and I couldn't reply.

They left me speechless.

It was true, Max didn't really like me and yes, maybe it was going to be hard for him to co-operate with me but I didn't really have a choice, did I? My eyes latched onto the two campers in front of me- I have a choice now.

But this would be dangerous. Maybe not physically dangerous, but emotionally? I doubt I'll be leaving there without an argument and to take these two? I looked at them again. Determination set in stone in their eyes and facts to back them up- who was I to take their chance on helping their friend?

I sighed,  
"Ok, fine." The two cheered, and I turned around to face the road once more. I had taken a short break to investigate a small noise rattling in my boot, and surprise-surprise, it was Nikki and Neil who I came face to face to. I had them be put into the back seats of the car before interrogating them.

And that's what happened.

"Oh yeah, hey David?" I linked and turned to Nikki, who held Max's diary. She started opening it and flipped to a page that seems a little thicker than the others, I narrowed my eyes at it, "I think these two pages have been stuck together deliberately. It's a bit thick and in one of the corners, you can see two sides barely sticking out from each other. Me and Neil tried to break it open but we're scared that it'll tear whatever is on the pages. Can you do it?" I gestured for her to hand over he book and she did.

I grabbed one of my old paper knives that I've owned since my childhood years and I positioned the knife at the edge of the paper as I started to slowly tear the two apart with as minimal damage as possible.

After several minutes, I was successful enough for me to read the even messier writing than usual. The ink was red and it looked like, judging by the splashes of water stains littering the pages that someone- Max had cried whilst he wrote this.  
It broke my heart.

I heard Nikki and Neil shuffle their bodies so they could look over my shoulders at the writing and i took this chance to read it myself.

The writing was nearly illegible. There was a date in the corner and I frowned, this was from nearly three years ago. There were only three sentences and I wondered why it was so short for something that Max wanted to hide away.

I read the first line.

'My teacher touched me today'

I felt my blood run cold and the gasps from Nikki and Neil made me want to snap the book close and cry. my heartfelt like it dropped to the bottom of my stomach and it churned in a way that made me want to vomit, 'it hurt and he did not stop when I told him to, he said he would make me feel nice but I don't feel good at all. I feel so ̶di̶s̶g̶o̶- disgusting. He told me not to tell anyone or he would hurt me but I told mum but she called me a liar'

In the bottom, I could vaguely see the words 'im sorry' scribbled and that was it. The words seemed rushed, as if Max needed to write this before something happened and whether it was good or bad, I couldn't tell.

I took a long inhale and exhale.

There were no words- no feelings that I could name that made me feel like I did. It felt like my whole body was cold but burning at the same time- sadness and anger, confusion and worry. How the hell did Max ever cope with such a childhood?

We needed to get to Max now.

I found myself clicking my seat belt on and passing the book back to Nikki.

I looked at them both and told them to buckle in before I sped off the side of the road onto the highway to go get Max.

I hope he was ok- I really do.


	7. Chapter 7

David's P.O.V

 

When we arrived at what I presumed was Max's house, I found myself in awe at the size of the area and how high-class it looked. Behind me Nikki and Neil peered out of the windows, their own faces wide with surprise and a look that could only be interpreted as overwhelmed.

 

And as much as I wanted to just walk up to the house and take Max, I knew that it would take more than that. My mind was still buzzing with the afterthought of the diary and I scrunched my nose in a slight cringe- I really wanted to just get Max out of there.

 

I heard my back door open and I whipped my head to see Nikki getting out.

 

I let out a yelp,  
"Hey, what do you think you're doing?!" Nikki paused and turned to face me,  
"To get Max, right? The house is right there, we have t-" I cut her off quickly,  
"No no no! Nikki, It's more than just walking up there, it takes time and..." I shifted, "evidence." Nikki raised an eyebrow at me,  
"Evidence? for what?" I looked over to Neil who locked eyes with mine before sighing.

 

"This isn't like getting a possession back from a friend or anything, this is real-deal shit that the police should be involved in," he glanced at the building, "but since we really can't due to complications," 'corrupted police' I thought with a grimace, "we have to collect evidence so we can take it to people who actually care."

 

"Child protective services." I added when Nikki questioned 'who'.

 

There was silence.

 

"So are we going to record the information or something? Like a camera? Oh, can I record it?! My hair's green, I could totally blend in with the bushes! Can I, can I?" I shook my head,  
"Not if you're going to act like this," Nikki deflated and my eyes widened at my own words, "w-wait that came out wrong, I mean that-"  
"No, I get what you mean David" Nikki grinned, "I'll be extra serious for this." I gave her a smile of my own at her reply,  
"But like, what if we just bring child protective service here? Couldn't they just interrogate them and Max could tell the truth?" Neil scoffed,  
"They've probably threatened him. They've managed to corrupt the goddamn police with money, who says they couldn't with the C.P.S? We need to collect evidence and show them, maybe even have them record the evidence before getting Max out of there. That way, since it's on record, the parents can't get their names wiped with a price," Neil let out a 'hmm', "and if this happened, Max will see that his parents can't get him back and will hopefully spill it to them." I smiled. Neil was a really smart kid.  
"And this is the only way?" Nikki sounded unsure, "what happens if it backfires?" I sighed, my shoulders slumping,  
"We don't really have a choice since the police are out of it, and if we contact the C.P.S now, there's a chance that Max's parents will bribe them too? We just...." I rubbed my head, "have to believe."

 

It went quiet once more.

 

"Alright. Then let's do it." Nikki exited the car and I made eye contact with Neil who pursed his lips and made his own exit.  
I followed in their steps, taking out two phones in the process.

 

"Hey, isn't that Gwen's phone?" Neil questioned and I nod,  
"Camera for today however," I passed it to Nikki whose eyes gleamed in excitement, though she was quick to snap back into a more serious stance, "When we walk up, there are some bushed right in front of the door so you can just record from behind it, right?" She nodded, "ok, cool." I unlocked my phone and gave it to Neil who knitted his eyebrow in confusion,  
"Aren't you recording it?" I shook my head.

 

"Less suspicious, right? If they have police on their side then there's a guarantee that they might call them if they notice something suspicious. I think it be ok to just slip it in your short pockets."

 

I watched as Neil scanned the phone.

 

"You know, for someone who seems to have to common sense, you're kind of smart with this stuff." I chuckled,  
"I've done something like this once before, though less serious. Very less serious. That and one of my camper's lives are in danger in this place, so we have no room for failure. We need to make sure nothing goes wrong." Neil 'hm'd in content and I smiled, "you two ready?"  
They both nodded.  
"Ok then, lets go." Neil pressed 'record' on the phone before slipping it in his pocket.

 

And with that, we made our way up the driveway to Max's parent's house.

 

The walk up itself felt eerie- there was just too much space to even comprehend that such a small family lived there. On Max's record, it was only himself and his parents. No siblings, no outside family, no nothing.

 

I knew that taking Max out of this household would equal that he would be sent away to a system that was widely life changing for not only the family, but for the him as well. I've heard multiple stories on how foster families had affected the fostered both negatively and positively and it was quite scary to me knowing that because of Max's overwhelming behaviour due to his horrible past, it would be a miracle for him to properly settle down in a family that would treat him with love.

 

He would be so unused to the feeling.

 

This space that surrounded us lead me to believe that Max's parents were empty people. It felt stiff- robotic and quite generic.  
Nikki, Neil and I walked up the pristine, clean white stairs and to the front door. Even that looked like you'd see on the front of a business. I took a deep breath in and knocked on the door, taking a step back as Nikki slipped behind a rose-bush next to the door and Neil slipped his hands into his pocket's.

 

Several seconds later, a pale-skinned male opened the door, his red hair and brown eyes gleaming at us in confusion.

 

I opened my mouth,  
"Hi, my name is David, I'm a Councillor from Camp Campbell and I'm here to give something to Max, your son?"


	8. Chapter 8

David's P.O.V

"Step-son actually," The man rolled his eyes, "and what do you possibly have to give him? Some shitty badge of participation at that camp? Worthless if you ask me, go away." he went to close the door but I threw my foot out and quickly jammed it,  
"Hey, no, it wasn't a badge, it was something he left behind!" I could already feel myself getting quite annoyed, something Max couldn't do for a long time (and it still wasn't the annoyed feeling i felt with this man) and the man sighed before opening it, just enough for me to get a quick view of inside.

Bland. White. Generic.

The man looked at me with squinted eyes.

"You said your name was David, right?" I nodded, fiddling with my fingers behind my back, "so you're the guy that got Max kicked from that place in the first place." I grimaced and felt my face pale slightly. Next to me, Neil shifted from one foot to the other, his gaze shifting away.

"N-no! There is no was I would ever want Max to leave! I-it was mandatory to report the camper's behaviour to their parents however, something that was just implemented in this year, and I couldn't lie-"  
"So he is a nuisance then?" I gasped,  
"I did not say that." I snapped back. Neil jumped from my voice and I curled my hands into fists. The man's face narrowed at me and I inhaled, "I take care of each and every one of my camper's with pride and respect. This include's Max too. In the report, I stated that his language was quite fowl and that yes, he sometimes does not follow instructions and can cause some trouble amongst the camp, but I never -and I would never- say he was a nuisance." I narrowed my own eyes at the man as it fell silent.  
The man pursed his lips,  
"So then, who did?" I rolled my eyes,  
"Your wife maybe?" I was sure that he would get offended, but I couldn't care any less. This might be his home, yes, but in no shape or form was he about to put words into my mouth let alone blatant lies about Max.

However, the man chuckled.

It gave me chills.

The sound he made was low, as if he expected this- like it was rehearsed.

"So that bitch lied to me, huh?" my mouth closed immediately and my eyes widened at his response, "fucking slut. probably just an excuse to see some man or something." I clenched my teeth,  
"Please don't swear around the kid's." He stopped before glancing at Neil. I felt my flood run cold at my mistake,  
"Kid's?" He questioned, making his was outside and twisting his eyes from right to left-  
That's when he saw Nikki, however instead of behind the potted plant where she was only several seconds ago, she was laying next to it, just enough to make it seem she was out of vision from the man.

"Where the hell did you come from?" Nikki shrugged,  
"Always been here."  
"Why are you sitting like that- why are you near my roses?" Nikki blinked,  
"I- uh, um, L-love nature of course!" She chuckled slightly, "I hate when I'm not around nature and I'm a big fan of roses so I couldn't resist." She stood up and I could slightly hear a drop of the phone as she wipes her clothes down before putting her arms on her hips, "There, all clean!"

The man watched her for a second and I couldn't let the fact that his eyes swooped both up and down at her figure before he 'hm'd and stood back.

Nikki than gasped,  
"My phone!" She swooped down and picked it up before checking on it, "Ah, thank god there isn't any cracks!" She put it in her overall pockets and I was in slight awe at her acting, especially since the camera lens had landed perfectly out for it to still be recording.

The man sighed,  
"You kids and your electronics. This is why Max never got a phone or any of those stupid play stations or Xbox's, a waste of both money and time on him."

On him.

How could he say that?

I shifted, before realising my situation. I coughed,  
"So, uh, is it ok if you bring Max here so we can give him his stuff back?" The man sighed before nodding,  
"You three stay here, I'll get him." He sauntered off into the house and I let out a sigh of relief. The way he was put me on edge- his voice, his laugh, especially the way he talks.  
I pulled Nikki and Neil closer to me and they complied, quickly relaxing more- if I knew this man would've been this uncomfortable, i would've kept them at the car.

Several minutes passed and I questioned whether the man was even going to come back when I heard shuffling from inside the house- two pairs of feet.

I stood up a bit straighter and quietly waited-

And then there was Max.

My heart shattered at the sight of him and I felt like crying so badly I nearly didn't catch how Neil and Nikki froze from beside me.

I was too late.

Whatever happened- it was bad.

He wouldn't even look into my eyes, Max's gaze was locked down at the ground, the scowl I was so used to was replaced by a soft glare- one of embarrassment.

He looked so vulnerable.

Cuts littered his face, a busted lip and bruises scattered over his cheeks and right eye. His hair seemed more wild and scattered like a mop on top of his head and I swear I would've choked Max's father to death right there and then if it wasnt for the situation we were in-

His neck was covered in bandages, splotches of dried blood were clear and I wondered if it was his parents or himself that cleaned his wounds.

Deep down I knew it was the latter, whether I liked it or not.

Max's father came to a halt behind him and placed both his hands on Max's shoulder's, and the way Max tensed and the way his eyes slightly widened at the contact made me on edge- The man chuckled,  
"He got into a fight with a couple of boys after he tried to run away from home a day or two ago."

Filthy liar.

Max's father started rubbing his hands over Max's shoulders and even though it didn't seem possible, Max tensed even more.

He was uncomfortable, scared even.

I jumped into action, kneeling down and spreading my arms,  
"hey Max! It's really good to see you again, even though it's only been a couple days." Before I could even see it coming, Max was in my arms, hands squeezing the back of my shirt and I found my heart warming up at his touch.

He was so scared.

I picked him up,  
"It's a shame to know that you tried to run away however, look how badly injured you are!" A lie. I watched as Max's dad watched me with hawk eyes and I ignored them, giving one last gentle squeeze to Max before lowering him again, "Now, I have something of yours that I know you've probably been looking for, and I knew me mailing to you wouldn't be the Camp Campbell spirit!" I stood up and Nikki and Neil latched onto Max quickly whilst I looked up at Max's father,  
"Do you mind if Max comes along with us to the car to fetch it? It's the maroon one just across the street, so we wouldn't be going far." I gave him my warmest smile and he rolled his eyes,  
"Fine, be quick though, you're wasting my time." The man closed the door and I heard him shuffle away.  
I put my hand out for Max to hold and he latched onto it immediately and I smiled, quickly making our way out of there, Nikki and Neil closely next to him.

It was only when we reached the car when Max broke.


	9. Chapter 9

David's P.O.V

 

I was devastated.

My heart clenched in pain at the scene in front of me and I felt tears in the corner of my eyes.

Max was crying- sobbing and bawling his eyes out as if his life depended on it. His body was shaking and his legs were wobbling as if they were about to give out at any second.

He was only ten.

I watched as he brought his hands up and tried to wipe away his tears ut they wouldn't stop coming, they just overflowed to the point where the sleeves of his jumper was soaking. I took this opportunity to kneel in front of him.

I had made sure that we had parked on the opposite side of the road, in clear view yet at the same time enough of a spot to talk on the other side of the car without his parents seeing- like they seemed to care, anyway.

My mind was flowing with so many emotions, I couldn't help but to cry myself- Nikki and Neil were both on the verge of tears also.

When Max looked up once more, he sobbed even louder and latched onto me once more, his small hands digging into the back of my shirt that seemed to break my heart even more as he buried his face into the crook of my neck.

I held him as he cried.

Though, quick enough Nikki had latched on as well, making sure to squeeze just gentle enough not to hurt Max and after a quick 'you too' focused on Neil, he joined in as well.

To the outside world, we probably looked weird, but to us, it was a sign-. Max was hurting and it was up to us to show him that he was not alone. He deserves so much more than to be where he was with his parents, he deserved his friends and to be happy.

Why did the world seem to hate him?

I held Max, Nikki and Neil for anther several minutes. During that time, Max had resorted to throwing out a mess of sentences, mostly full of harm and hatred- 'I hate my life', 'I wish I was never born', 'everything hurts' and the one that stuck me into my heart the most-

'thank you.'

He sounded so sincere, so grateful that I thought my heart was going to explode out of my chest. From his first day at camp to his last, I never would've thought I would hear that from his mouth, and under these circumstances? my gaze fell down,  
"You're such an amazing person, Max," I felt Nikki and Neil back off and I gave one last hug to Max, "Please don't ever change."

I felt him hug me back for a couple of seconds before he pulled away and wiped his sleeve over his eyes one last time. By now, his tears were gone and all that was left was a small boy with red eyes and a tired look plastered on his face.

"I'm so fucking tired." He sat down on the ground and I immediately stood up,  
"I bet you are," I unlocked the car and opened the door, "Sit in here though, I don't you catching a cold or something."  
"I don't think you can get a cold from the fucking ground, David." He replied, albeit in a soft voice as he hauled himself up. He jumped on the seat and turned around so his feet dangled out of the door.

It fell into silence.

"U-uh," I looked at Max with curiosity, sitting down on the ground in front of him, Nikki and Neil following me as Max rolled his eyes, "What happened to catching a cold?" I shrugged,  
"Just watching out for your safety, Max." Max squints his eyes at his hands that were in his lap, his mouth twitching into a frown,  
"How did you find me?" I sighed.

Now came the hard part.

"Your diary." Neil managed to state sharply, watching as Max flinched and immediately brought his knees up to his chest, pulling the jumper over them to keep him in place. Max sighed, eyes still latched to the ground,  
"How much did you read then?" His voice was croaky and uneven,  
"Most of it," Nikki stated softly, "Though it was mostly me and Neil, Max. We made sure that you were comfortable with letting David and Gwen read it later, though to even do all of this we had to show them the first and last pages." Max stayed quiet and I scratched my neck,  
"I'm not going to lie, I printed off a copy of most of the pages," Max's eyes shot up, his bloodshot eyes meeting mine, "But!" I stated quickly, "Gwen and I haven't read a lot of them. Only the ones Nikki and Neil showed us..." I grimaced, "That and..."

Max bit his lip.

"There was two pages stuck-" Before I finished my sentence, Max hit himself in the face, bawling out a strangled yell. I felt my heart speed up as he went to do it again and I quickly jumped up and secured his hands before he could do anymore damage.

His lip started to bleed again,  
"For fuck sake!" he belted out, struggling to get his arms loose, "No one was meant to know- no one!" Nikki and Neil started to get up and help me, but I stopped them with a shake of a head and tired eyes.

They stood back as Max kept struggling,  
"Fuck, fuck, FUCK!" He kicked me and I yelped, though I refused to let go as Max let out his emotions.

If his parents heard anything, they didn't bother checking up on him.

His rage went on, swearing and other hurtful words, mostly at himself, thrown in along side his rapid movements slowly wore himself down and after a couple of minutes he stopped, a fresh line of tears rolling down his eyes as he stopped to a halt.

I slowly let go of him and Max wiped his eyes,  
"Fucking hell." He whispered out.

I wanted to hug him and to take him back to the camp, away from his parents and anyone that could hurt him, but I knew it wasn't that easy.

Silence engulfed the area once more.

"Mum said I was a liar." His voice was soft, and his eyes drifted downwards- ears heated up and he drifted his arm up to hide his face.

"Hey, y-you don't have to say anything! You don't have t-"  
"Shut the fuck up, David." He growled out and I shut my mouth quickly. He continued,  
"Look, this shit didn't happen until I was seven. Until that bastard showed up. I was a pretty bright kid, but of course, as you can see, that definitely worked out right." Max wiped his eyes once more, " uh, w-when I was seven, like you guys know, my t-teacher..." his words drifted off, "did shit to me... r..raped me...I felt disgusting and used. I told my mum when I got home and she laughed in my face, telling me I was a liar and that I shouldn't make up this stuff for attention."

My blood boiled at his words- how dare his mother even say that.

"I tried to forget it, tried to move on, but it happened again and again. It happened... five times over the course of the past three years." I put a hand up over my mouth-it happened that many times? How- how ignorant does his parents have to be to let this happen for so long?!

"D-did you try telling someone else?" Nikki questioned and Max sighed,  
"The second time I told the police," I flinched, we knew where this was going, "They rang my parents, and they flaunted their money- my parents were off the hook....That was the first time mum hit me. My dad- my real dad didn't know. He didn't, even after the day he died I knew that he had no idea what has happening.

After he died, mum found more of a reason to hit me- I was, apparently, the reason for his death." Max rolled his eyes, "bunch of fucking bullshit right there, there is no was I was the cause of his car accident seeing I was in school at that time. Anyway, mum now had a reason to hit me- kick me, you name it. This kept going for a couple of months until..." His words stopped and he hugged himself, "Don't freak out when I tell you this ok?" His voice was just above whisper and I frowned,  
"W-what happened Max?" Max lips parted,  
"I-I," his bottom lipped quivered and he hid his face again, "He showed up."  
Silence.  
"I, um, he- the guy that raped me." I bawled my hands into fists, "apparently, uh, he- he was to be my new father."  
Silence.  
"Max, are you fucking telling me that godforsaken man that we met not only ten minutes ago was the person responsible for this- for all of your pain?" a nod.

I felt my blood boil- my anger seething as I stared at Max's house in utter hatred.

"You're not going back there." Max whipped his head to me and I stood up, "everyone, get into the car right now." Quickly, all three of them jumped into the car- Neil on the left, Nikki on the right and Max in the middle- just like before, just like usual.  
I heard a door open and my eyes traveled to the male in the doorway of Max's house. He's eyes were squinted as I jumped into the driver's seat. I rolled down the window and started the ignition as that disgusting piece of crap finally figured out what was happening and started marching down his long driveway.

He was too late, however.

I put my middle finger up at him and seethed out,  
"Burn in hell, motherfucker!" and hit my foot on the gas pedal, the engine immediately roaring to life as we raced out of there, leaving that bastard in the dust.

Several seconds later, I heard a 'whoa' and found my gaze looking through the mirror at Max. He was smiling- as much as he could and he gripped his hands to his friends,  
"Never thought you'd ever do that." I chuckled at his croaky words,  
"Times change, Max."

And from now on I'll make sure his life from now on was like anything but his past, even if it fucking kills me in the end.


	10. Chapter 10

David's P.O.V

 

It occurred to me at 6:34pm that something was wrong.

Not to Max, no, nor to Nikki, Neil or I.

It was Gwen, or more specifically, the sudden realisation that there was no way to contact her- and that Nikki and Neil was with me.

So she was probably having a breakdown or at least freaking out.

I looked down as Nikki and Neil who gave me a questioning gaze,  
"You never told Gwen you were with me did you?" They froze, "and I have Gwen's phone with me..." their eyes widened,  
"Oh shit." Neil whispered as Nikki took this opportunity to laugh out loud. She banged her arm on the leather seats as she laughed, her eyes gleaming with mischief. Max looked on with a raised eyebrow.

"Long story." I replied, nervously biting the nail of my left hand. During the half an hour of driving we had located and tracked a 'Child Abuse Prevention Center' located fairly close to Max's house, the said child having calmed down immensely from the overwhelming position that he was placed in and had melted back into his tough exterior albeit much nicer than he usually was.  
When I had asked about if he was hurting anywhere else other than the multiple injuries littering his face, his face had fallen, his nose scrunching up in what seemed to be embarrassment or hurt and he hugged himself, mumbling out a soft 'no'.

I didn't believe him, but I didn't press on.

After we arrived at our destination, I took it upon myself to open the door to Max's side myself, helping the black-haired child down before letting Neil and Nikki out and locking up the car. It only took several seconds of us entering the place when a young woman made a B-line towards us, eyes wide as she crouched in front of Max.

It was awkward watching Max reply to the woman, especially when she tried to place a hand on his shoulder- he had immediately flinched at the contact and the woman apologised profusely as my heart clenched-It took all my will power to not hug him and tell him that everything was going to be ok.

The woman took another small look of sincerity at Max before standing back up properly and suggesting that we wait until she calls the police- I had immediately stopped her, telling her that it would be better to record this onto the records which she complied, asking for us to follow her into her office as she pulled out the incident report template; I was glad that she didn't question me. Her work lead to several minutes of silence before the subject of Gwen arose.

"Ok so," I snapped back to the conversation at hand as the woman looked at Max, "Max right?" He nodded, "Ok, now Max, what's your last name?" He complied and I watched them talk back and forth, question after question- Age, home address, current family members; I watched as he cringed when she asked about his father's name and I felt myself frown before letting it go, there was no need to get angry when the man himself wasn't there.

After some more questions, the woman pulled out a piece of paper and grabbed a pen,  
"Alright Max, I need you to say yes if any of these apply to you," she paused for a second, "do you want to be alone to do this or-" Max cut her off,  
"I'm fine." the woman nodded,  
"Alright. What I have is a list of the four classical types of abuse and neglect abuse commonly sustained in a household, what I need you to do is just say yes for me, can you do that?" Max frowned, but nodded, "Ok and before we start, I want you to know that if you want to stop at anytime, then all you have to do is-" Max cut her off again,  
"I'm not a baby, I can handle saying yes." the woman bit her lip and laughed,  
"Sorry Max, lets start."

She stated each one- physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, and neglect. It was when Max said yes to all of them is when the woman seemed to become aware at the situation- she looked over to me,  
"How injured is he?" I glanced at him and his gaze fell downwards,  
"Max?" I placed a hand on his shoulders and he sighed- I didn't miss the fact that he didn't flinch- Max leaned back into his chair and crossed his arms as I allowed my hands to drop from his shoulder.

He opened his mouth,  
"Look, don't get sappy at me when I tell you, I'm already feeling shitty as it is," I smiled gently,  
"Language, bud." Max eyes met mine and he let out a 'hmph'.  
He began once more,  
"When I got home, my mum locked me in my room until who knows what time- it was dark when my door opened and in came my..." he cringed, "dad." I felt my heart speed up at the immediate thought that came to mind,  
"He didn't-"  
"No, David, he didn't. He just hit me a couple of times is all." he grumbled out,  
"Just'?!" Neil exclaimed loudly, "'Just' hit you?!" Max stared at his friend with questioning eyes before they widened slightly and he fell slack onto the back of the chair,  
"Right, I'm just kinda used to it I guess." My heart teared apart at his response and I felt tears in the corner of my eyes. I pulled up my hand and wiped them quickly.

"Oh my god, David you're not actually crying are you?" Max asked incredulously and I laughed, bitter sadness laced within my words,  
"O-of course I am, Max, I-I just- your words just-" I paused to find the words, "kids aren't ever meant to say that about something like this." I locked eyes with him, "no one should be able to say something like that so casually- no one. You're just a kid and whether you want to tell me that you're smarter than the average ten-year old or not, it won't take the fact that you are literally ten years old. You have had so much happen to you in such a little time and it astounds me how disgusting people can be to kids. I hate this." I revealed with a tired sigh as I slouched over my seat.

Max shifted in his seat,  
"I-uh, anyway, um" he twiddle his fingers with a pained expression, "he hit me, mum hit me, she also, uh, strangled me with string f-from my violin-" I wondered how much my heart could take as it throbbed in pain as my mind littered with sorrows for Max and how he managed to survive through it all, " when I tried to escape a couple days ago the police found me and took me home, fucking pricks," I bit my lip and refrained from telling him to watch his language- this was more than just swearing at the moment, "they dragged me home and dad kicked and hit me again, threw a bottle of olive oil at me at once point- the glass was a bitch to get out- and, I guess, that's it?"

I opened my mouth before I could even think,  
"your neck- i-it doesn't hurt right?" Max's hand reached up to touch the bandages over his neck and he sighed,  
"Yeah, uh, I guess this is also a good time to explain that I had a panic attack?- a really bad one too, I kinda scratched this chunk of flesh from my neck, it....wasn't that comfortable."

Silence.

"Max, are you ok?" the woman spoke up and we all gazed at her concerned appearance. Max nodded,   
"It's scabbing over, it doesn't hurt anymore." The woman froze for a second before sighing,   
"I need to know if you have any proof of their abuse other than your physical appearance? This is extremely serious and I know that this is going to result in a law suit and jail time for both of your parents, I guarantee you that." Max shook his head but Nikki jumped in before he could speak,  
"We do!" Max's eyes widened as the Nikki and Neil brought forth the phones, "David got us to record and video tape and the conversation with the guy and I forgot to turn mine off when we were talking to Max so we have proof." Max's astonished look put a smile on my face as the woman clapped her hands together,  
"Good. We'll transfer these immediately to the records file under Max's name for containment in case anything happens to these phone, is that alright?" I nodded and she complied, and within a matter of minutes it was complete.

The woman entered the 'submit' key and I immediately felt a wave of relief over myself- Max closed his eyes and relaxed.

This might have been the most easiest step into getting Max out of there for good, but it was an incredible feeling to accomplish.

"There. It's all on records now. I cannot and can't interfere or delete any of this unless it goes through a formal assembly of people from higher-ups to establish whether the case will e terminated or not," she shot me a glance, "would you mind if I call the police and ambulance? It's ok, I'll make sure to contact the head chief in office and have him come down personally, I'll make sure Max won't be anywhere near them again- however Max definitely needs to be checked out by a doctor." I looked at Max and he nodded, his eyes still closed. She smiled and took her phone out, dialing what I assumed was the police and taking a step outside.

Nikki striked up a conversation with Neil and Max about what they'd do when they got back to the camp. I watched on, silently contemplating whether Max could even come back- I shook my head- no time for thoughts like that.

A couple of minutes later, the woman reentered and flashed us a smile,  
"Everything's set, they'll be up here in the next couple of minutes." The woman put her phone away, "Also,  
We'll have a social worker come pick up Max after the police arrive-" Max cut her off,  
"A social worker?" His voice was sharp and I felt my stomach drop,  
"Max, you're going to need to stay somewhere for-"  
"Camp Campbell." my hands clenched, "I'm going to stay at Camp Campbell."  
"But Max-"  
"Shut the fuck up." Max stood up and slammed his hands onto the tale, looking dead into her eyes, "I'm being ripped apart from a family that's abused me for three years there is no way your about to take me from one that actually means something to me."

Silence.

Words couldn't describe how warm my heart-felt at his words or how my chest tightened in utter happiness- I was ecstatic. He truly felt this way? I couldn't believe it. I knew he cared somewhat for Nikki and Neil, but for the whole camp? words fail to even begin to describe this feeling. Proud? No, no, this was so much more, I was over the moon!

I knew I was smiling when I saw Nikki bounce beside Max, stating her own cause of how 'Max is like an older brother to me, you can't do this to us!' and quick enough, Neil joined in too stating that 'the hard facts are that there are Councillors at this camp, doesn't that mean they have some course of training for this type of stuff? Ask David himself!'

At the call of my name I snapped back from my mind and I nodded,  
"Of course! I know for a fact that I myself have gone through psychology, education, social and other refined courses fit to fully cater to the job of being a Councillor." I stated with absolute confidence.

The women stared at us and gave us a soft smile,  
"Ok." Nikki cheered and Neil and Max high-fived and I smiled, "But I need all the legal documentation and specs of both the camp and each Councillor- we might need to do an inspection of the place just in case for possible hazards, however since it is a camp filled with other kids I doubt that would be any trouble, yes?" I laughed,  
"Of course!"

"Perfect, now then, when does the camp end? I'll have to set up a time for a social worker to-" as much as it pains me with how much she's been cut off today, I cut her off myself,  
"Actually, can I ask how long it takes to become a foster parent?"

Silence.

"Well, it's based on current license status. If you already have a treatment level foster care license, We may accept you immediately following an interview and a review of your home study and other information. If you have a D.H.H.S family level foster care license, the process could take 3-to-4 weeks. For new families just beginning the process, it will likely take more time, about 6 months, so that background checks, finger-printing, water tests, fire inspection and the initial home-study and training can be completed," She gave a small shrug, "It all depends on your level of license."  
"David, why are you asking?" I turned to meet Nikki's hopeful face,  
"Well, actually," I kneeled down to Max's level, "I don't know about you Max, seeing as though you haven't really shown a liking to me over the past couple of weeks, however, seeing as though you want to stay at Camp Campbell, maybe-" It was my turn to be cut off,  
"David," my mouth closed as Max's tired eyes stared into mine, "I-I want to stay with you," He teared his gaze away quickly, "I'd rather you than anyone else any day."

I gasped and my eyes flew wide.

Had he really just said that?!

Nikki started jumping up and down, gripping onto Neil with so much force he started tipping back and forth- She squealed.

I myself couldn't hold my excitement back as I picked up Max and hugged him, careful not to hurt him as I spun around,  
"D-David, oh my god!" Max replied, gripping onto me with a high pitched whine, "You goddamn idiot!" I laughed, putting him down,  
"You won't regret this." I exclaimed with utter excitement,  
"I feel like I already have." He raised an eyebrow as I jumped in place.

A knock on the door brought us out of our excitement and we looked over, seeing a police officer,  
"Hey, looks like I'm interrupting something good?" The man smiled and I noticed Max tense a bit, "I'm the chief from downtown, here for a child abuse case?" The woman nodded and the police officer faced Max, his eyes widening at him and his injuries.

The man kneeled down to him, enough to give him space,  
"It's good that you found the courage to stand up and take a leap of faith to leave such an abusive household. This center and I will do everything in our power to make sure you stay safe, alright? You're in safe hands."

Max nodded, a hopeful gleam in his eyes.

From here on out I felt like everything was going to be ok.

I was confident that I'll be the parent that Max deserved and even better, I was glad to be the one to be next to Max every step of the way.

And I knew, deep in his heart, he was glad too and that's all I wanted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter is the last OoOoo~ it will be a short epilogue chapter about what happens next and I hope you guys stick with me till the end!!


	11. Chapter 11

Max's P.O.V

 

I watched as Space kid waved out the car window of his parents car as they drove off, leaving nothing but the fleeting sound of a motor drifting off in the late-summer air. Beside me, David waved back twice as hard, shouting the words 'I hope to see you next year!' as he had done with most of the other campers.

I sat back next to Nikki who had rested her head on my shoulder, much to my protest. Her eyes were closed and breathes even.

She had fallen asleep as far as I could tell.

How, I did not know. What I did know however, was that there was only a couple other families to go until everyone was gone, and that one of the next ones to show were bound to be Nikki's family.

At that thought, I knew that the best course of action would be to wake Nikki, however I made no advancements I was comfy where I was anyway.

Neil had already left.

He was the first to go actually, as his mother was always 'more than welcome to be extra early to all occasions, just in case' as Neil had stated with a shrug when she arrived two hours before the official time established for home time.

He gave me a hug which I had allowed since it was probably the last time in a long while I'll be seeing him- he then left me and Nikki with his phone number and he left with both mine and Nikki's, promising that he'd give us a ring when he reached home.

My right hand squeezed the phone in my right pocket and I glanced over at David who was chatting to Nerris, the kid retaliating with bright eyes and a wide smile. David had bought me a phone, albeit cheap and second-hand, but to me it was more.

It was weird knowing that someone was willing enough to go through training to become a fully fit foster parent just to take after me, but then I remembered that this was David we was thinking about and that he'd probably sell a kidney to get Dolph or Space kid some candy.

Still though, for David to do this all for me made me feel more guilty than I think it should-be and whether I wanted to or not I felt like a burden to him, as if made being shoved into a different foster family would've made his life so much more easier, especially without a 10-year-old kid running around-

"Max!" A 'click' went off as I turned my head to the voice source and I frowned my eyes landed n David with his phone,  
"You two are just so adorable!" I scoffed.  
"Taking pictures of kids without their consent? Scandalous." David blinked for a second before shrugging and looking back down at his phone,  
"I'll send it to you two nw if you want?" I went to tell him to delete it but a familiar body leaned on me as they waved her hand at David,  
"Show me, show me, show me!" Nikki boomed as she leaned over me even further and I whined in protest, jumping off from the chair allowing Nikki more room to reach David who was more than welcoming to show Nikki her phone. She squealed at I hope was the picture and her smile widened,  
"You have to send it to the group chat!" David agreed immediately and I groaned,  
"Really?!" They ignored me and seconds later I felt a buzz go off in my pocket, quickly followed by several more.

I refused to get my phone out and took this time to glare at the two in as much anger as I could muster up.

Nikki was the one that suggested to the group to make a group chat with everyone in it and when she said everyone, she meant all the campers including Gwen and David if they wanted to- David of course, being the guy he was, accepted and Gwen, although hesitant, accepted it but stated quickly that she was going to 'mute the convo if any of you little shits try to text at three a.m in the morning.'

Thus, the 'Max Protection Squad' was made.

I cringed at the name.

At first, it was just 'Camp Campbell's campers of Camp Campbell's 2016 Camp' Which was named by Nikki, which then followed on with other ridiculous names including 'The PUSSIES', to 'Magic is REAL', to ' 'WhyDoesMAxLeaveTheConvoEveryday???' which eventually lead to everyone agreeing on that stupid squad name.

Though, even though I'd never admit it out loud, it was nice to know that they cared as much as they do.

I ended up taking my phone out and opening up the conversation to reveal several other messages and pictures of the others- some complain about the noises they had to endure on their way home, others stating how they missed everyone already.

At least no one decided to focus on the picture apart from the heart reactions by David, Nikki and Space kid.

I put my phone away, just as two cars pulled up to the camp and judging on how Nurf and Nerris had reacted, I knew that Nikki was safe from the city-world for a bit longer.

We all said our goodbye's and they left shortly after.

Now it was only me, Nikki, David and Gwen- even the quartermaster had left to retreat to his home. Nikki amused me with a conversation on how she was going to go home and dig up a hole in her backyard and bury herself alive so she could always be in the power of mother nature, which quickly grabbed the attention of Gwen and David who replied with nervous laughter and a quick glance at each other, probably thinking the same thing- warn her parents when they arrive.

And speak of the devils and they shall appear, Nikki's parents arrived just as Nikki was questioning with a groan on why they weren't here yet.

Nikki was quick to send herself onto me with a bone-crushing hug before repeating the step with David and Gwen before saying her goodbye's,  
"I'll miss you Max! You better text me EVERY day and call me exactly at nine p.m so I can tell you how my day went-" she paused, "unless I'm buried six feet under of course." I face palmed as David whined in protest to her words.

"Don't do anything that'll get you killed, you're one of the few people I can actually tolerate." She gasped and she lunged once more at me, quickly latching in a hug,  
"That's the nicest thing you've ever said about me!" I rolled my eyes as Nikki's parents called her over,  
'Sure, if you think so. Goodbye NIk," I took my own pause, and tuned my voice into a low whisper, "And thank you for being my friend." NIkki was ecstatic at my response and practically crushed me once more, David having to unlatch her from her hold on me.

She left with both her hands waving out of the window, half her body leaning out before a hand pulled her in.  
I shook my head.

"Welp! That's another year of summer fun done and dusted!" I raised my eyebrow over to Gwen and David who walked over to me, "Did you have fun Max?" I 'hmm'd in content, shrugging,  
"Did you think I did?" He opened his mouth to say something, but he froze and frowned a bit,  
"No, not really." His voice was laced with confusion and a undertone of sadness that I managed to hear and I sighed,  
"It wasn't the worst thing, it was bearable." Those words were enough for David's smile to return as Gwen watched on,  
"As much as it pains for me to say," she sighed out dramatically, "I might actually miss this place." She smiled and David smiled back, "lets just make sure we have more ways of communicating outside of the camp next year, alright?" David winced and I snickered.

Apparently Gwen had a melt down when she realised NIkki and Neil had vanished- not the meltdown as if 'holy shit I need to find them panic mode active!!' but more of a 'shut down mode' which left her laying on the ground with a note in her hand explaining her life story as vague as possible as she waited for death to approach- or, at least that's what Nerris had told me.

after a couple more minutes of chatting, Gwen's phone went off and she let out an 'oh!' as she checked it,  
"Ah, the reminder!" she stated with surprise, "I have to go now if I want to make it back home before night-time!" David whined but complied with saying his goodye's. Gwen turned to me,  
"Don't make his life too much of a living hell." I let out a dry 'ha' and stuck my middle finger up at her and she laughed, getting into her car and waving before driving off with a last goodbye.

And then it was just me and David.

David sighed in content, wiping the stray tears that had occasionally slipped out off during the whole day and he turned to me.  
"Are you ready to go home too?"

The way he said home made my heart clench. It was hard for me to forget that the home I'll be living it wasn't where I was- wasn't with them.

My parents had been sentenced to life in jail- my mother for condoning the act of sexual abuse with her knowledge- the fact that she pleaded guilty to that immediately made me sick- as well as severe child abuse and neglect on herself and her husand for the act of child abuse, neglect and molestation of a child in their possession.

They were gone for good.

I looked up to David, his green eyes sparkling in what I could only pinpoint as excitement or child-like curiosity as he stared at me in anticipation.

At the start of camp, David was nothing but a nuisance to me- always invading my personal space, ruining my plans to get out of here once and for all and for having such a positive attitude to life no matter what negativity I threw at him- he was the bane of my existence. But now, I knew I couldn't even begin to think of him so negatively for the things he's done for me as both a Councillor and my new foster parent.

He was my saviour.

and I was thankful for him.

I raised my eyebrow at him.

"What else are we meant to do? Stay here until next year?" His eyes widened at the realisation and I put my hand up, "Don't answer that! I know what you're going to say and I do not agree!" He slumped slightly and I rolled my eyes, "Let's go home." I ignored David's smile he shot me as he reached a hand out for me to take- I shot him a look,  
"Don't push it, camp man." David laughed, let out a 'worth a shot' before unlocking his car.

We both got in and he started the engine without trouble.

I looked back to the camp I came to like a little more than most things in life and even I knew that deep in my heart I was going to miss the place.

David pressed his foot on the pedal as music started playing through his radio and I felt my heavy eyes droop close,

I think I could finally say I was at home right next to David and deep in my heart, I wouldn't have it any other way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The angst, the tears- it's all over now! Thank you so much for everyone who stayed with me till the very end! I'm extremely happy with myself for getting this small piece complete in a weeks time and I hope you'll stick with me in future fanfics as well! Any constructive criticism would be amazing and any comments/kudos' would be cool too!! (Though obviously you don't have to if you don't want to!!) Anyway, thank you so much for reading- have a good day/night!!! Sincerely, me.


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